"Freedom"

the AZEL PERSPECTIVE Commentary on Cuba's Future, U.S. Foreign Policy & Individual Freedoms - Issue 168

How Do You Say “Freedom” in Spanish? Share Tweet Forward

When asked for the Spanish word for ‘freedom,’ the inevitable answer is libertad. But libertad is the translation for ‘liberty.’ In fact, there is no word for ‘freedom’ in Spanish, and libertad is used for both liberty and freedom.  For most of us the terms are synonymous. However, political scientists and philosophers attach different connotations to the terms liberty and freedom. For me, this presented a challenge when writing studiously of freedom in Spanish without a word for freedom.  In 2010, Dr. Eugenio Yañez, who was then translating my book “Mañana in Cuba,” ingeniously came up with the idea of distinguishing the terms by capitalizing Libertadwhen my intended meaning was freedom, and using lower case libertad for liberty. Similarly, socio-cultural anthropologist Roland Alum, brought to my attention that, in Spanish we do not have a distinct word for toes, we have only dedos. This forces the cumbersome construction of  dedos de los pies for toes, which translates literally to "fingers of the feet." Technically, freedom is a more general concept that may be defined as “the power or right to act, speak, or think, as one wants.” Freedom is a subjective and personal state of affairs. In contrast, liberty is more associated with an individual’s connection to the state. Liberty is a collective state of affairs rather than a personal one. Liberty may be defined as “the state of being free from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on ones behavior or political views.” We demand liberty so that we can exercise our freedoms. Then, to complicate or clarify things (depending on your disposition), social psychologist Erich Fromm, in The Fear of Freedom (1941), and political theorist Isaiah Berlin, in Two Concepts of Liberty (1958), introduced an important distinction between negative and positive freedom. Negative freedom is understood as freedom ‘from’ interference by other people. In a political context, negative freedom refers to freedom from institutional oppression. Positive freedom is understood as freedom ‘to’ and refers mostly to our being free to develop our potential. Once we are free from oppression, then we have the positive freedom to pursue our own dreams and goals. By now my patient readers must be ready to give up on this pedantic academic discussion, so let me get to the point.  In the Spanish speaking world, liberty is conceived mostly in the negative sense. Liberty is conceived as political freedoms such as freedom of assembly, the press, religion, speech, thought, etc.  It is in this limited concept of free from oppression that libertad is normally used in political discourse. And here is a bizarre psycholinguistic theory to the effect that maybe, the fact that there is no specific Spanish word for freedom contributes to a rather constrained understanding of individual freedoms in Spanish speaking nations. This may be because, the idea of ‘freedom to’ can be overreached and interpreted to mean that freedom requires enabling a person. In this case, ‘freedom to’ becomes not just removing constraints, but enabling. This overextended ‘freedom to’ embodies the socialist welfare view, where the state seeks to enable individuals. In practice, when government coercion is used to expand ‘freedom to,’ it necessarily undermines ‘freedom from.’ In the context of sociopolitical values, the Spanish word libertad is not really representative of self-confidence, self-reliance, courage to fight for one’s rights, entrepreneurship, greater social tolerance and social equality, respect for the rule of law, and aspiration for higher accomplishments. In the Latin American tradition libertad does not explicitly capture these values. Libertad is understood mostly, as the negative freedom of being free from oppression. Liberty, as the absence of coercion, depicts just one piece of the intellectual puzzle that is freedom. In the Spanish speaking world, without a term for freedom, libertad needs to stand for much more than the absence of coercion. Libertad must embody the liberal tradition where freedom is the power of individuals to assert personal initiatives.  There is no word for it, but freedom, not just liberty, is needed to free the imagination and talents of Latin America. Please let us know if you  this article. We welcome your feedback. Abrazos,  Lily & José  (click on the name to email Lily or Jose) José Azel, Ph.D. José Azel left Cuba in 1961 as a 13 year-old political exile in what has been dubbed Operation Pedro Pan - the largest unaccompanied child refugee movement in the history of the Western Hemisphere. He is currently dedicated to the in-depth analyses of Cuba's economic, social and political state, with a keen interest in post-Castro-Cuba strategies. Formerly, a Senior Scholar at the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies (ICCAS) at the University of Miami, Jose Azel has published extensively on Cuba related topics. In 2012 and 2015, Dr. Azel testified in the U.S. Congress on U.S.-Cuba Policy, and U.S. National Security.  He is a frequent speaker and commentator on these and related topics on local, national and international media.  He holds undergraduate and masters degrees in business administration and a Ph.D. in International Affairs from the University of Miami. José along with his wife Lily are avid skiers and adventure travelers.  In recent years they have climbed Grand Teton in Wyoming, trekked Mt. Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Machu Pichu in Peru.  They have also hiked in Tibet and in the Himalayas to Mt. Everest Base Camp. They cycled St. James Way (El Camino de Santiago de Compostela) and cycled alongside the Danube from Germany to Hungary. They have scuba dived in the Bay Islands off the Honduran coast and in the Galapagos Islands. Their adventurers are normally dedicated to raise funds for causes that are dear to them.  Watch Joe & Lily summit Kilimanjaro. Books by Dr. José Azel "Liberty for beginners is much more than what the title promises. It is eighty themes touched with the wisdom of a master, and the charm of an excellent communicator. Anyone that wishes to understand why countries do, or do not progress, will find in this book the best explanations. If it was in my power, this work would be required reading for all college and university students, and I would recommend its reading to politicians, journalists, and policymakers. With this book Azel accomplishes what was achieved in France by Frédéric Bastiat, and in the United States by Henry Hazlitt: brings together common sense with intelligent observation, and academic substance. Stupendous" Carlos Alberto Montaner Buy Now "Libertad para novatos es mucho más de lo que promete el título. Son ochenta temas tocados con la sabiduría de un maestro y la amenidad de un excelente comunicador. Cualquier adulto que desee saber por qué progresan o se estancan los pueblos aquí encontrará las mejores explicaciones. Si estuviera en mis manos, esta obra sería lectura obligatoria de todos los estudiantes, tanto de bachillerato como universitarios, pero, además, se la recomendaría a todos los políticos y periodistas, a todos los policy makers. Azel logra con este libro lo que Frédéric Bastiat consiguiera en Francia y Henry Hazlitt en Estados Unidos: aunar el sentido común, la observación inteligente y la enjundia académica. Estupendo." Carlos Alberto Montaner Compre Aqui In Reflections on Freedom, José Azel brings together a collection of his columns published in prestigious newspapers.  Each article reveals his heartfelt and personal awareness of the importance of freedom in our lives.  They are his reflections after nearly sixty years of living and learning as a Cuban outside Cuba. In what has become his stylistic trademark, Professor Azel brilliantly introduces complex topics in brief journalistic articles. Buy Now En Reflexiones sobre la libertad José Azel reúne una colección de sus columnas publicadas en prestigiosos periódicos. Cada artículo revela su percepción sincera y personal de la importancia de la libertad en nuestras vidas. Son sus reflexiones después de casi sesenta años viviendo y aprendiendo como cubano fuera de Cuba.  En lo que ha resultado ser característica distintiva de sus artículos, el Profesor Azel introduce con brillantez complejos temas en  breves artículos de carácter periodístico. Compre Aqui Mañana in Cuba is a comprehensive analysis of contemporary Cuba with an incisive perspective of the Cuban frame of mind and its relevancy for Cuba's future. Buy now Pedazos y Vacíos is a collection of poems written in by Dr. Azel in his youth. Poems are in Spanish. Buy now

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